Wisconsin Badgers

Delany offers no thought on Big Ten expansion

He says conference will stick to timetable

That was the message Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany shared with reporters Tuesday in Chicago when asked about the league's expansion plans.

Despite a recent report that the Big Ten has already invited Notre Dame, Nebraska, Missouri and Rutgers to join the league, Delany reiterated Tuesday during the Big Ten's annual spring meetings that he will continue to follow the timetable of 12 to 18 months that he laid out in December.

Thus, fans shouldn't expect a decision any time soon.

"We're exploring, trying to do it the right way," Delany said, adding no vote would be taken when the Big Ten presidents meet June 6. "We'll either decide to act or not decide to act. The only thing I can tell you is we're months away from that decision."

Delany added the league will not expand unless such a move is fiscally sound and a program or programs that provide the right fit academically and competitively can be added.

When asked about the reasons for studying expansion, Delany noted expanding the footprint of the lucrative Big Ten Network was the driving force. He added the league would like to gain a foothold in the South.

Texas of the Big 12 is one of the many schools named as a possible candidate to join the Big Ten. Other southern schools that have been mentioned include Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference.

"Our schools have benefited by healthy economies, by strong job markets, by growth," Delany said. "In the last 20 or 30 years, there's been a clear shift in movement to the Sun Belt. The rates of growth in the Sun Belt are four times the rates in the East or the Midwest.

"You do want to look forward to 2020 and 2030 and see what that impact would be on our schools."

Delany also said the intent of expansion was not to stage a championship game in football, though any expansion would likely result in such a game.

It has been assumed that any expansion plans would include a football championship game, which could bring in an estimated $15 million annually.

"That's not the motivation," Delany said. "If it was, we could have done that many times over the past 20 years."